With the rise of geek chic and its fashion influences, nerdy tattoos are not only appearing on the skin of dedicated nerds but are also beginning to cross over into the mainstream. Geek-inspired designs are providing fresh material for those looking for new ideas for their next tattoo. A few simple words like “I <3 Helvetica” inked across the chest or a full-blown collage of the cast of Dr. Who covering the back can tell you a lot about a person. These geeky tattoos are now making their mark in a terrifically awesome way.

Working with your artist to get what you want! Having a custom tattoo is an admirable goal, however, it takes more than just great tattoo ideas to make a truly awesome tattoo. You will need a skilled tattoo artist who shares your vision and with whom you feel comfortable. Here are a few tips to help turn your custom design into reality.

With modern automation, today's tattoo machine is simply a fancier version of these tried-and-true methods. Often called a tattoo machine, this tool features a needle or needle grouping attached to an armature bar. The bar is moved up and down by electromagnetic coils at a rate of up to 3,000 times per minute.

One of the most common tattooing methods is called hand-poking, or gently pushing the needle with ink into the skin. Compared to the ‘pricking out’ technique, which involves pushing the needle into the skin and then flicking it out, hand-poking is slower, but less painful.

But let’s be fair. It could also be argued that most of us engage in simple acts of body modification every day but don’t consider it as such. They've become so ingrained in our daily lives that we don’t consider common grooming practices like styling hair, applying make-up, shaving etc, to be forms of modification.

Aside from religious, cultural or aesthetic reasons, extreme body modification is more often about self-expression. Sub-dermal implants and artful branding may be implemented in order to shock and provoke, head-to toe scarification can be done to create intricate body art on a large scale or to show allegiance to a group or counter-culture.

With today's fancy technologies, tattoo artists have wonderful tools at their disposal. The tattoo machine, however, has not been around for millennia. How then did the ancient tattoo artists draw intricate, permanent designs on the skin? Most ancient cultures used tools like rose thorns, sharks' teeth and pelican bones to push pigments into the skin.

With tattoos becoming more popular, more women who might not have considered them in the past, are now getting them done. Girls with tattoos these days are not just the rebels or the rockstars. They are young professionals, teachers, lawyers, mothers, even grandmothers! Gone are the days where seeing a tattooed lady meant you were at a carnival or circus.